PGA Championship Round 3 grades

When Rory McIlroy appeared on Saturday as though he was ready to come back to the field or lose a share of the lead, he made birdies. His three birdies over his last four holes should give him some momentum as he takes a 1-shot lead into the final round at Valhalla Golf Club.

How will the players in contention on my board answer the challenge to stop the seeming inevitability of McIlroy winning his second PGA Championship and second consecutive major?

Rickie Fowler is this year's Mr. Major with his three top-5 finishes in the three completed majors of 2014. If there were a board for players who bring their A-games to the majors, he and Jason Day would be at the top of the list.

These two young guns and an elder statesman, Phil Mickelson, have the best chance of the players on my board to stop McIlroy from further cementing his dominance. As this bunched leaderboard at Valhalla proves, there are many great players in the game.

When is he going to have his A-game in this tournament? He still has one more round to find perfection. In his 67 on Saturday, he finished his day with birdies on three of his last four holes to grab a 1-shot lead heading into Sunday. He now has 18 birdies and an eagle through 54 holes. In his best years, Tiger never put on the driving show that we've seen over the past few weeks from McIlroy.

Starting his third round 7 shots off the lead, Scott got himself back into the tournament on Saturday with a bogey-free 5-under 66 that gives him a 7-under total. Scott managed to get back into contention without birdies at two of the three par-5s.

A bogey at the par-4 16th hole was the only blemish in Garcia's 66 on Saturday that included six birdies. At 5-under for the championship, he is a long shot to win his first major this week, but another 66 can't hurt his chances.

Stenson is 9-under for the championship after a 4-under 67 on Saturday. He closed his third round with two birdies. Last year when he finished third in the PGA at Oak Hill, he had a 70 in the final round. It will take a much lower number than that on Sunday if he wants to take his first major title.

Distracted by the pre-tournament long drive contest and rainwater on his driver clubface on Friday, Watson probably started his third round with his mind on next year's Masters champion's dinner menu. The longest driver on the PGA Tour with a 314.8 average, the two-time Masters champion didn't have a birdie at one of the three par-5s on Saturday in his 2-over 73.

The 16-time PGA Tour winner never really found a rhythm on Saturday in a 1-over-par 72, despite getting to within a shot of the lead after a birdie at the 10th. He had the worst round of the players at the top of the leaderboard at the beginning of the third round.

Day struggled on Saturday with his ballstriking, but he stayed patient enough to stay in the tournament through a gritty 2-under 69. In the final round, he can't have the errant drives that he had on Saturday if he wants to beat McIlroy.

A Phil Mickelson round is never boring. On his back nine on Saturday, he had just three pars in an inward half that included bogeys at 11 and 12 and four consecutive birdies to complete a third-round 67. That put him at 10-under for the championship and 3 shots off the lead. Major championship No. 6 is in his reach. .

Fowler had a bogey-free 67 on Saturday for an 11-under total. With two second-place finishes and a fifth-place result already in the majors this season, it's time for him to finish one off with a victory. His final-round scoring average in those three majors is 70.66. He will definitely need to lower that average on Sunday to win.